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Mourning in America - Here's Those Layoffs We Voted For Last Night

Last night's victory for the President marks the first time since its inception that Obamacare is no longer a what-if; it is the future of health care in America.

It also means a near immediate impact on the economy. With 20 or so new or higher taxes set to be implemented, ranging from a $123 billion surtax on investment income, through the $20 billion medical device tax, all the way down to the $600 million executive compensation limit, Obamacare will be a nearly unbearable tax burden on the economy.

Who will pay? The middle-class workforce, of course.

So with another four years for President Obama to look forward to, and the obvious inevitability of Obamacare that this entails, let's examine the very real jobs that will be lost, and the very real lives that will be affected.

Welch Allyn

Welch Allyn, a company that manufactures medical diagnostic equipment in central New York, announced in September that they would be laying off 275 employees, or roughly 10% of their workforce over the next three years. One of the major reasons discussed for the layoffs was a proactive response to the Medical Device Tax mandated by the new healthcare law.

Dana Holding Corp.

As recently as a week ago, a global auto parts manufacturing company in Ohio known as Dana Holding Corp., warned their employees of potential layoffs, citing "$24 million over the next six years in additional U.S. health care expenses". After laying off several white collar staffers, company insiders have hinted at more to come. The company will have to cover the additional $24 million cost somehow, which will likely equate to numerous cuts in their current workforce of 25,500 worldwide.

Stryker

One of the biggest medical device manufacturers in the world, Stryker will close their facility in Orchard Park, New York, eliminating 96 jobs in December. Worse, they plan on countering the medical device tax in Obamacare by slashing 5% of their global workforce - an estimated 1,170 positions.

Boston Scientific

In October of 2009, Boston Scientific CEO Ray Elliott, warned that proposed taxes in the health care reform bill could "lead to significant job losses" for his company. Nearly two years later, Elliott announced that the company would be cutting anywhere between 1,200 and 1,400 jobs, while simultaneously shifting investments and workers overseas - to China.

Medtronic

In March of 2010, medical device maker Medtronic warned that Obamacare taxes could result in a reduction of precisely 1,000 jobs. That plan became reality when the company cut 500 positions over the summer, with another 500 set for the end of 2013.

Others

A short list of other companies facing future layoffs at the hands of Obamacare:

Smith & Nephew - 770 layoffs

Abbott Labs - 700 layoffs

Covidien - 595 layoffs

Kinetic Concepts - 427 layoffs

St. Jude Medical - 300 layoffs

Hill Rom - 200 layoffs

Beyond the complete elimination of a significant number of American jobs is another looming problem created by the health care law - a shift from full-time to part-time workers.

A JP Morgan economist "points out that 8.3 million people are working in part-time jobs even though they'd prefer full-time work. Unfortunately, because of President Obama’s health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), workers in the hotel, restaurant, and retail industries could be pushed into part-time jobs working less than 30 hours per week."

"Under the health care law, if a company has more than 50 “full time equivalent” workers, a combination of full and part-time employees, but doesn’t offer “affordable” coverage that meets the government’s minimum value standard, the company will have to pay a penalty. This penalty is determined by the number of full-time employees minus 30 full-time employees. So to reiterate a very important point: part-time workers are not part of the penalty formula. The health care law creates a perverse incentive to hire part-time versus full-time workers."

Tangible examples of Obamacare causing a reduction in full-time workers:

Darden Restaurants

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Darden Restaurants, a casual dining chain best known for their Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants, is "experimenting with limiting the hours of some of its workers to avoid health care requirements under the Affordable Care Act when they take effect in 2014".

JANCOA Janitorial Services

The CEO of JANCOA, Mary Miller, testified to Congress that Obamacare was a "dream killer", adding that one option she had to consider "is reducing the majority of my team members to part-time employment in order to reduce the amount that I will be penalized."

Kroger

The American retailer in Cincinnati, Ohio recently was reported to be planning a significant slashing of their hourly workers. Doug Ross writes:

Operative Faith (a mid-level manager with the company) reveals that Kroger will soon join the ranks of Darden Restaurants and slash the hours of its non-exempt (hourly) workers to avoid millions in Obamacare penalties.

According to the source, Obamacare could result in tens of thousands of Kroger employees being limited to working 28 hours per week.

Summary

This is by no means, meant to be an exhaustive list. But it is meant to provide examples of real companies, real jobs, and real names, soon to be added to the growing list of employment casualties provided by the inevitable implementation of Obamacare.

Last night, America voted for four more years of President Obama and his destructive economic and health care policies. By extension, America last night voted their approval of the aforementioned layoffs and overall work reduction.

So, I need to ask a question about this whole blame the "spear-chucker" thing? When you make comments like that, do you only see Obama's skin color? Or does the fact that he was raised by whites (his mom and grandparents) and his biological father did nothing for him during his life but make him 1/2 black mean anything?

Rachel - No, you didn't HAVE TO pick the lesser of 2 evils. There were other choices. And you didn't HAVE TO pick at all either. No one says you HAVE TO vote.

Jesse - When our country was started, it was small - population-wise and even land-wise. That's why it worked. So you're right. It's gotten too big to work right anymore. It needs to be divided up into many smaller countries.

Did Rachel actually just say "I don't need a dishonest president" and I could have sworn she said "Romney has been caught up in so many lies" then "I chose Obama." My guess is that she believes that Obama does not lie or deceive the American people, or at least has not been caught at it?

My fellow conservative Americans, here is exactly the problem. This country is filled to the rim with brainwashed ignoramuses like this. Trying to fix this country or return it to it's former glory is futile... It's not gonna happen! For every liberal you get to agree with this cause the Dems will replace with 10 illegals and give them amnesty in exchange for their support for this Socialist movement. I think it's time to divide the country in half or thirds or 50ths. Let the libs have their part and the conservatives can have theirs. All this bickering and fighting about who is right and who is wrong is not getting us anywhere. Lets divide this piece of land up so I can live with like minded people, the Libs can have their Socialist society and run it into the ground if they want.

Don't worry you will see millions of new entrepreneurs over the next few years they will elect to be their own bosses a "SKI MASK and a 45". I guarantee when I sit on a jury I will abandon my conservative views if the plaintiff is a libtard and so should all conservatives. Give the libtards what they wanted, remember you can't pick and choose, give them a taste of their disease of liberalism. SET ANY AND ALL FREE.. I WILL....

Truly it is time to grow up..really! The racist remarks are disgusting and have nothing to do with the issue at hand..every time you make ignorant statements like this it gives ammo to those who want to keep saying Obama is only disliked because he is half African American..when that isn't it..it's because he has made poor decisions..but then again show me a perfect president!..I had to pick..and I chose Obama..had to pick the lesser of the 2 evils! Sorry but Romney has been caught up in so many lies..his stories inconsistent..and some of his views were similar to obamas!..I don't need a dishonest president that is saying all he can just to please us..I really feel all of these prejudice individuals need to move to another country since u hate ur president so much.

@ Sharon Hicks.....you can't fix stupid. Liberals think Obama is king and as long as they have their king, gay marriage and abortion rights then all's right with the world. Wonder when/if they will ever come to their senses?

Erick Smith, you mention Lockheed-Martin. Well now the big layoff comes they said would happen, and o'blamer told them to wait until after the election to make the announcement which they didn't, but they are going to lay off 123,000 workers. And this obamacare will make it even more critical that they do. So sad, but at least I voted Red.

11/08/2012

Very well said, Ranny Lane! It is WELL past time to start calling a small pointed shovel a small pointed shovel.

11/08/2012

Ranny - I'm as angry and frustrated as the next guy, trust me, but let's not sink to their level. I agree with where the blame lies, but the racist comment is childish at best and unnecessary.

Minnesota experienced a win for liberty recently when the state reformed regulations on in-home food businesses. According to the Institute for Justice, almost every state has regulations, called cottage food laws, that limit the sale of food out of the home. However, until last month Minnesota was one of the strictest states, allowing many bakers to sell their products only at farmers’ markets and events, and capping the amount they could earn annually to $5,000.

When the so-called "public option" single-payer healthcare program was scrapped during the legislative "debate" over ObamaCare in 2009, lawmakers working on the bill created the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Program as a compromise. The non-profit co-op program is meant to compete with private, for-profit health insurance plans in the individual and small group markets. The 2010 healthcare law provided $3.4 billion in start-up funding to help get the program off the ground.

Sometimes a man’s just got to take a stand. Rand Paul did it his 13-hour filibuster on drone strikes, Ted Cruz did it in his 21-hour floor speech to defund ObamaCare, and now Mike Lee is invoking an obscure Senate procedure rule to completely repeal everyone’s least favorite health care law.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Thursday showing that undercover consumers were allowed to re-enroll in health plans on the federal ObamaCare Exchange. The bogus enrollees had outstanding document issues that should have prevented them from obtaining subsidies for coverage.

More Americans paid ObamaCare's individual mandate tax for 2014 than previously estimated, according to a new report from the Internal Revenue Service's National Taxpayer Advocate. In January, the Treasury Department projected that up to 6 million households would be subject to the tax because they did not purchase a government-approved health insurance plan.

A new analysis finds that the health insurance plans offered on ObamaCare exchanges offer a choice of 34 percent fewer health care providers, on average, than plans offered on the private market. The report specifies that:

America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade association that lobbies on behalf of insurance companies in Washington and in state legislatures, announced on Wednesday that Marilyn Tavenner, the former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will serve as its president and chief operating officer. Tavenner oversaw the disastrous implementation of ObamaCare during her tenure, which, some suspect, ultimately led in her resignation from CMS in January.

The Supreme Court has now largely upheld ObamaCare, with a carve-out from the contraceptive mandate for closely held companies, the first three times the law has been challenged in the Court. Because of this, it is difficult to have much faith that the Court will ever overturn the law based on constitutional concerns. However, there is still another case working its way through the DC Circuit, Sissel v. HHS, challenging ObamaCare based on the Origination Clause.

Health insurance companies are signaling huge health insurance premium increases ahead of the 2016 open enrollment period. This is due to the droves of older and sicker consumers who signed up for coverage on the ObamaCare Exchanges, according to a report from The New York Times. Requests submitted by insurance are approved by state regulators, such as state insurance commissioners, but the proposed rates reflect a higher utilization of healthcare than expected.